Piercings and Pink Hair
by LoVeBiTeS
Summary: Hermione has a difficult summer before her 7th year. When she returns she feels lost and distant from her friends. Has she changed or have they? (rated R for later) I promise that this isn't like most DMHG fics! Please RR! (Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! XD)
1. Tickled Pink

o Tickled Pink o  
  
"I guess this is it," Hermione Granger sighed. She was sitting in the back seat of her parents' car on the way to the train station. She would be beginning her seventh and final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She knew this would be her final trip to the station and with this thought a single wistful tear slid down her cheek. As King's Cross came into view she felt a flutter of nervousness in her stomach. A lot had happened over the summer and she wasn't sure how her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasly, would react.  
  
Yes, a long and confusing summer it had been. She had first of all found out that she was not in fact the daughter of the Granger dentists. Or so her blood said anyway. She had went to donate blood the minute she turned 17 and had soon discovered that her blood type was not plausible with her parents'. When she presented this information to the Grangers they told her that she had been adopted when she was a baby, and was not even a muggle-born. Both her biological parents had come from long lines of pure magical blood. She had not been told much about her real parents and had not asked. She would always be Hermione Granger, the daughter of Cheryl and Harold Granger. Blood didn't really matter to her.  
  
If this weren't enough information for the two boys to swallow her appearance change would definitely fill the goblet. She had been introduced to punk rock music over the summer by one of her friends and had instantly fallen in love with it and it had caused a major change in the way she looked. Her hair was no longer brown and bushy but smooth, sleek, and... pink. Hot pink, actually, and the underside was a deep raven black. She had pierced her eyebrow, navel, and her tongue. Her parents had not been too fond of this change and had failed to give their consent until Hermione reminded them 'subtly' about how they had lied to her for 17 years. Needless to say, they had complied.  
  
Hermione gave a final sigh as her parents parked at the station. She stepped out of the car, the September sun glinting off her tight leather pants. A gust of cool autumn wind swept past her and she pulled her black hoodie tighter around her.  
  
"Are you excited, Hun? Head Girl... I still can't believe it. You will definitely have your work cut out for you, eh?"  
  
"Yeah, mum, but it should be fun. I wonder who Head Boy is... definitely not Harry or Ron, they don't study enough." Her mother laughed as they neared the barrier for platform 9 ¾.  
  
"Well, Good luck, Sweetie, make mum and dad proud."  
  
"I'll try Mum, I really will." She gave her mother and father a final hug and pushed her cart through the brick wall.  
  
As she walked towards the train she glanced up at the beautiful golden clock. 10:58. She had barely made it, she quickly rid herself of her trunk and found her way to the compartment her and her three closest friends usually shared, the third being Ginny Weasly, Ron's younger sister. She was only a year behind them and was the one Hermione went to with problems and ideas that male minds could not comprehend.  
  
She turned the corner to the compartment and smiled as she saw her friends.  
  
"Hey, guys!" she said cheerily.  
  
"Oh, hello," replied Harry, "can we help you?"  
  
"Err... it's me-"  
  
"Hermione?!" screeched Ginny. "WOW! Look at you!"  
  
"Hermione? Huh? OMIGOD, HERMIONE!" A shocked Ron gaped at her, the look on his face quite similar to the one Harry wore.  
  
"Wow, 'Mione. You sure look creep- err, nice." He said as Ginny elbowed him sharply in the ribs.  
  
"I love it Hermione! You look beautiful!" Ginny said, looking genuinely happy for her.  
  
"Thanks, Gin, you look great too."  
  
Harry was still silent, his green eyes staring into her own heavily lined cocoa ones. "Well," he finally said, "Definitely different Hermione, but beautiful as always. What made you decide to go that colour?"  
  
She smiled and took a seat beside Ron, across from the other two. "I guess I just felt tickled pink," she laughed and continued, "So, how was your guys' summer?"  
  
Ron hesitated and Ginny cut in, "It was absolutely boring as almighty Hell." Ron laughed.  
  
"It wasn't that bad Gin, but yeah, it was boring."  
  
"I got to at least stay with them for a month of the holidays this time," Harry interjected. "So it wasn't as bad as my summers used to be. How come you did come 'Mione?"  
  
"Well, I had a very long confusing summer." She told them about her parents and the blood test and being adopted. She didn't, however, tell them of her pureblood heritage.  
  
"Wow, Hermione. Are you OK with all this?" Ron asked, his voice filled with concern.  
  
"Yes, actually. I have no desire to meet my real parents, because I think that will just confuse me more. Maybe I will later, but for now the simplicity of having only one set of parents seems more desirable to me."  
  
They asked a few more questions and she answered them the best she could. Being careful not to mention her lack of muggle blood.  
  
The conversation, as usual, turned to Quidditch and her, being the only one not on the team, fell silent and took out her MP3 player, knowing that the closer they got to Hogwarts the shorter her time with The Clash, her favorite band, would be. Electrical devices did not work at Hogwarts, there was too much magic in the air.  
  
Just then, Professor McGonagall came to their compartment door.  
  
"Ms Granger?"  
  
"Yes?" The strawberry locked girl answered.  
  
"Oh my, Hermione... err, you are to meet the Head Boy in the Heads compartment as soon as possible."  
  
"Yes, Professor." The older woman turned promptly on her heel and left.  
  
"Oh yeah! I forgot about that, Hermione. D'you know who the Head Boy is?" Ron asked.  
  
"No, not yet, I suppose I'll find out soon won't I?"  
  
"S'pect so," He grinned.  
  
"Well, see y'all"  
  
"Bye, 'Mione!" They chorused as she walked out of the door.  
  
A/N: Well, thanks to anyone that read this. I know it's not really long or anything, but I'm just getting started and I didn't want to rush into things. Anyways, thanks again. PLEASE take the time to R/R!! This is my first fanfiction.net story and I could really use your constructive criticism and ideas!  
  
Ciao Bellas! Mandee 


	2. Just Checking You Out

A/N: thanks blckshdwcat! My first review tear you made my day! =D  
  
o Just Checking You Out o  
  
As soon as Hermione left the comfort of the cozy compartment, and the company of her friends, she felt drained of energy. As if the entire sleepless summer caught up to her all at once. She trudged her way to the Heads compartment, trying to ignore the waves of noise, mostly laughter that assaulted her ears. Laughter that made her head seem as if it were splitting it two.  
  
She came to the compartment she was looking for and opened the door. Sitting, watching out the window was a raven-haired boy she had no recollection of ever meeting. Was he new?  
  
"Hello, I'm Hermione Granger," She said with lack-luster enthusiasm.  
  
"I know who you are," the boy spat. He turned to face her and her honey eyes filled with recognition as his filled with surprise.  
  
"Malfoy."  
  
"Granger."  
  
"I take it your Head Boy then?"  
  
"Of course I am, expecting someone else?"  
  
"She thought about it and realized that he was the most obvious choice. Always did well in class, especially in potions.  
  
"I guess not," she sighed, her head pounding with a sudden new force. She sat across from him. He had definitely changed over the summer... his black hair, loose and glinting from the sun streaming through the window. He was wearing black pants and a t-shirt with a ratty pair of converse sneakers. He didn't look like a goody two-shoes anymore, that was for sure.  
  
"What are you looking at, mudblood?" He snarled.  
  
Well, at least his appearance had changed over the summer. He was still the same bratty Malfoy.  
  
"Just checking you out. From the looks of things, you don't have to worry about it happening often." She was lying through her teeth. She would be checking him out as often as she could.  
  
Malfoy had been slightly shocked at the subtle flirtiness of her first statement, but shook it off and replied, "Believe me, Granger, I don't need it from you, I'm sure to be getting checked out often enough without your help." Draco had noticed the difference in Hermione, not just the obvious physical changes, but in her attitude. He could no longer anger her with simple taunts. She didn't fly off the handle like usual, but threw something right back. And the way she was dressed... the leather pants hugging curves he didn't even know she possessed. He mentally smacked himself. Mudblood, he thought. Off-limits.  
  
"And what are YOU looking at Ferret-boy?" Hermione asked the question with Draco's trademark snarl and smirk.  
  
"Just checking you out," he smirked back. Turning away from her he resumed watching out his window. "We have to go give the prefects their duties you know."  
  
"Do you have your information booklet?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then let's get this over with."  
  
They walked down the corridor until they reached the prefects compartment and greeted the eight students, a boy and a girl from each house. Hermione and Draco opened their booklets and began to give the students the rules and expectations of their new roles. This didn't take very long and before she knew it, Hermione was back sitting in the compartment with Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince.  
  
Sitting here with him was making Hermione think. She needed to do something crazy. Something to solidify her new image. She was pureblood now. She was like Malfoy. What better way to get her lineage out in the open than to date the King of Slytherin himself? And he was pleasing to the eyes too... It wasn't that she liked him, she just had a feeling it would be daring and exciting. Not to mention she would piss off a number of Slytherin girls. She laughed wickedly to herself and vowed to be dating Draco Malfoy by the end of the week.  
  
A/N: I know, short again, probably shorter. I apologize, but I wasn't sure how much more info to put in. Anyways, thanks for reading, if you could... y'know just hit the review button now.... =D Later days, Mandee 


	3. Blue

A/N: THANK YOU! To everyone who took the time to review even a little bit. Thanks. 1000 points to all of you! =P I meant to update sooner but one thing lead to another and I never got the chance. Sorry for the wait.  
  
The train stopped and Professor McGonagall met them as they came out of their compartment. As usual her hair was pulled back into a strict knot and the look on her face was all business with no hint of a smile.  
  
"I will be taking you to see your new dormitory before the feast and the sorting ceremony." She said stiffly.  
  
"Err... dormitory? As in... only one?" Draco asked.  
  
"Yes, Mr Malfoy. You and Ms Granger are sharing a five-room suite. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a common room."  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea professor... I mean-"  
  
"It is a fine idea Mr Malfoy as it was Dumbledore's idea. You will do no complaining. This is to provide maybe the slightest amount of unity between the houses. If you and Ms Granger can get along, anyone can." With that she spun around and began to lead them to Draco and Hermione's doom and desire.  
  
"You've been quiet about this whole thing," Draco snapped as soon as the professor was far enough away to be out of earshot.  
  
"I see no reason to complain Malfoy, it's not like I'm sleeping or showering with you." She responded, "It's not that big of a deal."  
  
"Maybe for you, you're not sharing a dorm with a filthy mudblood."  
  
"Yeah...I definitely wouldn't understand what that would be like," she said sarcastically. "I'd say you were luckier actually, at least you don't have to share a dorm with a stuck up slytherin-prince-pureblood preacher- son-of-a-bastard-death-eating-moron."  
  
"Moron? Nice finish Granger."  
  
"Shut-up." She said sourly. As they walked farther into the depths of the castle, the hallways got more dismal and narrow. Even the paintings seem to be getting darker, Hermione thought as she passed a portrait of a man about to behead a hippogriff, much like Buckbeak's, a pet of Hagrid and the late Sirius, fate had nearly been at the hands of MacNair, a death eater.  
  
Professor McGonagall stopped in front of a particularly colorless and gloomy painting of a man Hermione recognized as Nicholas Flammel. He had been the only owner of the Philosophers Stone, which Hermione and her friends had helped to save in their first year at Hogwarts.  
  
"Phoenix Firebird." Spoke the Professor in a hurried tone, "Ok, Ms Granger, your room is to the left, Mr Malfoy, to the right, you may take a quick look around and then please join your housemates in the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony.  
  
"Yes, Professor," they said simultaneously. She turned and walked back through the direction they had come.  
  
"Phoenix Firebird, that should be easy to remember, that's my favorite car," Hermione said, breaking the silence.  
  
"A Firebird? Ha, nice. I figured you to have an SUV, or something practical." He shook his black locks off his face and smirked at her.  
  
"Then I guess you haven't got me figured at all," she said simply. Stepping away from him and turning toward the left where she was told her bedroom and bathroom were situated.  
  
Draco watched her walk away. What made her feel as id she was able to talk down to him? He was Draco Malfoy! Sure, his father had been a death-eater, but he had never even considered being one himself. It was expected of him but he was not one to take orders from others. Now that his mother and father were dead, he was free to do as he pleased. Only, of course, if it was okay with Dumbledore. When he had been left an orphan Dumbledore had taken him in. He had always thought Dumbledore was an batty old wizard, but he had saved him. When his parents were killed, many sought after the youngest Malfoy, for the family had many enemies and Draco was the one to carry on their line of destruction. No one knew it, but Draco was living in the castle. He had been for the past year. He had ridden the Hogwarts Express into London and pretended to have been early to the train. No one knew, not even Blaise Zabini, the closest thing Draco had to a friend.  
  
Hermione knew Draco was watching her and she put an extra sway in her hips as she walked. She couldn't afford to be nice to him yet, if she ever would. She assumed that goodie-goodies weren't his thing and she was sick of being good anyway. She wanted to be bad, different. She opened the door and walked in to her new room. It was nice, but not really her thing. It was done in a deep royal blue with lighter blue accents and bedspread. Her trunk was in the corner by the wardrobe where her clothes were hung neatly, presumably by house-elves. Hermione had given up on SPEW, but she still didn't entirely agree with the house-elves style of living and their inhumane treatment.  
  
She knew she would have to deal with her room's décor later, but right now, she wanted to change for the feast. It was too warm in the castle for a hoodie. (A/N: Bunnyhug, Kangaroo Jacket, whatever you call it.) She went to the wardrobe and grabbed a perfectly worn Ramones shirt, and changed into her red Chuck Taylor sneakers, much more comfortable than the combat boots.  
  
Draco too had gone to check out his room. It was also blue, and he vowed to fix it when he returned from the feast. He decided to look into his bathroom situation before he went down to the Great Hall and was surprised to see it was even bigger than the one he had while staying in his suite in the upper wing of the castle. A small pool took the place of the bathtub and everything was done in white marble except of course for the stainless steel taps that circled the tub and were centered in the sinks and shower. He noticed a door on the far side of the bathroom and opened it. It was another bathroom. Hermione's bathroom. She was going to have a fit. He chuckled and walked back through the rooms, meeting Hermione as she exited her door on the other side of the spacious common room.  
  
"I suppose we could walk down to the hall together?" Malfoy asked, a curl of a question mark teasing his words.  
  
"I suppose, but it's more like we left at the same time, we're not walking down 'together'."  
  
"Obviously, since we both know it wasn't a conscious choice." Hermione rolled her chestnut eyes and opened the portrait and climbed out.  
  
In the Great Hall, the first years were already being sorted as they walked in. Professor McGonagall stopped calling the students up and the room rang with whispers as everyone saw the Slytherin Prince and the Gryffindor Princess (A/N: she's a princess just for you, Dez =P) walk in together. It was quite a sight and they both quickly assumed that the whispering was about them being within feet of each other.  
  
"Ah, perfect timing. I'd like you all to meet your new Head boy and girl, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger." Dumbledore spoke from the teacher's table.  
  
"Hermione Granger?!" Hermione heard someone whisper loudly. Oh yeah, she had forgotten. People weren't whispering about her and Draco together, they were whispering because they thought her and Draco were new to the school. She laughed.  
  
"They don't recognize us, that's great." She giggled, bowed her head to the student body and began to walk towards the Gryffindor table.  
  
Draco, although he wanted to laugh, kept a stony face and strutted purposefully towards the table of Slytherins.  
  
"Draco, mate! What's with the hair? Since when is black your color?" Blaise Zabini called out to him.  
  
"Since I dyed it like that, Zabini." He retorted.  
Dumbledore raised his hands and the hall fell silent of the whispers. "You may resume, Professor." He said to Professor McGonagall. She began to call the rest of the students up to be sorted.  
  
"Chang, Jasmine." Cho Chang's younger sister, small and raven-haired, came to sit on the stool and was sorted into Ravenclaw. Next was Devins, Summer to Hufflepuff and on until Warwick, Mitchell was sorted to Slytherin.  
  
Draco clapped as the first year grinned and joined their table. He felt his gaze pull to a certain Gryffindor, saw her looking very out of place in the sea of them. She looked up as if she felt him staring and he quickly looked away. What was so different about her this year... was Draco attracted to her?  
  
A/N: Is it just me or did this chapter kinda suck? Sorry if you thought so. I was having the slightest bit of writers block. Lol. Anyway, if you avert your gaze to the bottom of the screen you will see a little blue button. Click it. Then review. =) thanks. Yours til the peanut butters, Mandee. (Don't discriminate against my loser-ness, embrace it. Dez has. =D) 


	4. Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, y'all make my day when you do. Yes, even you Dez... I know, hard to believe =P. So, anyway, here's chapter 4, this chapter was actually kinda hard to write cause it has the bathroom scene and I didn't want it to be too cliché... I tried. =)  
  
o Should I Stay Or Should I Go? o  
  
Hermione sighed. She felt so lost at this moment. Like she didn't fit in with her old friends. It's not like this was a new feeling, she had felt out of place for most of her life. Her thirst for knowledge set her apart from most people her age and she was always seen as a know-it-all. She glanced around the table. These people were her friends weren't they? She should be able to tell them anything. They wouldn't hate her for being pureblood would they? Of course they wouldn't, she thought. Ron's a pureblood. They don't all go to Slytherin. Get a grip, Hermione, she told herself. She let her eyes roam around the room and as if by magnetic force they were soon level with a pair of steely gray orbs. Hermione shuddered as the icy gaze washed over her, leaving her flesh in goose bumps and the hair on the back of her neck on end. A wave of deep emotion she didn't recognize poured over her and she pulled her eyes away, shaking the unknown emotion out of her head and her heart.  
  
She picked at her food, eating a bit of the salad but not much in all. She got up and began to head back to her new quarters.  
  
"Where're you going, Hermione?" Ron asked, flashing her his chewed roast and mashed potatoes. (A/N: I hate potatoes...)  
  
"Back to my room, I don't feel so well," she said weakly.  
  
"Ok, see you."  
  
"Yeah, later..."  
  
Before heading back to her room Hermione stopped in the library, searching for a book she had seen once last year on paint-change charms and other decorating things like that. She quickly located it and began the trek back to her dormitory. She started to read through the book as she walked and only stopped when she heard someone clear his throat near her. She turned around, and there was no one.  
  
"Err... who's there?" She called, hesitant.  
  
"Excuse me, Miss Granger is it? Is this not your room?" Hermione turned to see the painting of Nicholas Flammel talking to her.  
  
"Oh, bloody hell. I wasn't paying attention. Thank you sir."  
  
"Of course. Password?"  
  
"Phoenix Firebird."  
  
"Surely is, good-bye Miss."  
  
"Good-bye." She stepped into her common room and glanced around. Good, she thought, Draco had stayed at the feast. She opened her own door, kicked off her shoes, and sat cross-legged on the middle of her blue bedspread. Opening the book, she started with the paint-changing spell.  
  
"Expingo Coloro, Black." She said, pointing her wand at the dungeon walls. Starting from the corner, it seemed as if a black veil of paint began to uncurl, enveloping the walls in an opaque darkness. She flipped through the book finding all the spells she needed and continued to change her room until it looked more like her room at home. The bedspread was black also, her pillows black and pink. The curtain hanging over her window was a pirate's flag and her floor was covered in a shaggy hot pink area rug. Next were the things she had brought from home. She had mostly brought muggle posters that she had enchanted to move. She magicked them onto the walls until there more pictures of the Ramones, the Clash, Sugarcult, and The Misfits than wall space.  
  
"There, that's better," she said aloud. She glanced at her watch, 9 O' clock. Oh well, it was early, but she was bloody tired. She walked to her wardrobe and changed into her short plaid boxers and a tank top. She wandered across her new carpet, it tickled her bare feet and she stopped to wiggle her toes in the plush-ness. Grabbing her toothbrush and bathroom bag she went to brush her teeth and get ready for sleep.  
  
Her ivory and onyx bathroom was gorgeous and she was sure the taps were stainless steel. She sighed as she brushed her teeth, dental hygiene just reminded her of her parents. Which reminded her of her whole dreadful summer. She washed off her make-up and rinsed her glowing tanned skin with cool water, mentally rinsing away her sadness. Glancing towards the mirror she noticed another door to her left. She started toward it, pulling her hair up into a messy bun as she went. She opened the door and found another bathroom. A bathroom occupied by someone singing in the shower. She laughed, this was Draco's bathroom, and he was singing! She listened closer and soon realized he was singing a familiar song.  
  
"If you say that you are mine, I'll be here 'til the end of time.."  
  
She picked out the gurgled words and pieced them into "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" by The Clash. It was one of her favorites, and Draco wasn't a bad singer.  
  
She slid down to the floor and leaned her back against the wall for support. She lost herself in his voice, succumbing to the gentle tones of his words.  
  
"Well c'mon and let me know, should I stay or should I go?" Draco continued to sing his favorite song, letting the words run out his mouth as the water ran over his body. There was nothing better, he decided, then singing in the shower. You were alone, warm and able to sing as off key as you wanted. It was freedom. Suddenly Draco heard a noise from outside the shower curtain, he inched it back slowly, to reveal Hermione, who had unknowingly started singing along with him. He stifled a laugh.  
  
"You gotta let me know..." Hermione stopped, Draco was singing anymore. Oh fuck...she thought. She slowly brought her head up and unfortunately met an icy silver stare.  
  
"Shit..."  
  
"Hello, Granger." Malfoy said, securing a towel around his waist. "I never suspected you for a peeping Tom."  
  
"I'm not, I was just enjoying the show," she said, raising an eyebrow at his half naked form. Again this off-handed comment struck him with surprise. So bold coming from Granger. Trying to one up her he drawled,  
  
"Care to join me?" He raised an eyebrow to match hers and grinned deviously.  
  
"Yes." Draco blinked at her.  
  
"Err... what?"  
  
"I said yes. But I won't, thanks." She stood up and sauntered out of the bathroom, leaving a shocked and confused Draco in her wake. She almost didn't believe her own boldness. Once she was back in her own room she laughed at the expression on his face. She couldn't wait to tell Ginny about it.  
  
Draco was still shocked as he laid in the silence of his own room. He was willing sleep to come to him, but he couldn't stop Hermione from coming to the front of his mind. What was he going to do about it? He could never make things work with a mudblood. For one, his father, and for another, Hermione hated him! He sighed and closed his eyes yet again. This time though, a wave of exhaustion hit him and he fell into a fitful slumber.  
  
A/N: Well, there it is. Can you tell what song I was listening to when I wrote this? Lol. Thanks for reading, now, if you look, there's a little purpley-blue button. I like that button. You should click. =D  
  
Happy Christmas, Mandee 


	5. AHH! Human Pretzel!

A/N: Thank you to my reviewers, I love you all! =D Yes, Korman, even you! =P Anyway, thanks again, and keep them coming! This chapter kinda starts out light, gets heavy, but then it goes light again, just to let you know. Not sure why, but hey, I told you anyway. =)  
  
o AHH!!! Human Pretzel!! o  
  
Hermione woke up to the blaring of her radio. She recognized the song, and realized it was the Weird Sisters. The same song that she had had her first kiss too... she smiled and then grimaced when she remembered it was with Viktor Krum. She stretched her arms and flexed her back as she curled her toes, relaxing her muscles. She was about to get out of bed to shower when she heard the shower running in the bathroom next to hers. She wasn't going to take a chance on Malfoy getting her back, so she decided to wait for him to finish.  
  
She had set her alarm early and knew she had time to waste before she got ready so she slid out of bed on to the floor and began to twist her body into the complex yoga poses she had taught herself. She could feel the tension of the summer melting off her back and shoulders and she pushed herself further.  
  
Draco stepped out of the shower and started back to his room when he heard the unmistakable sound of a well-pleasured woman. He stopped dead in his tracks, knowing it was from Granger's room. He walked stealthily towards the door that lead to her bathroom, gripping his towel tighter around his waist. Her bedroom door was closed, he drew closer and grasped the doorknob in his sweaty palm, it slipped on the cool metal and he drew back, not wanting to be heard. He tried again, this time grasping the handle firmly. Inching the door open, he revealed a pretzel like Hermione, pulling and twisting herself in unnatural and painful looking ways. She groaned again and slid her body out then of the pose, laying spread eagle on her back. She took a deep breath and Draco could see her visibly relax certain muscle groups with each inhale and exhale. If the deep breathing and flexibility of her body wasn't enough to set Draco over the edge, she had obviously just waken up, which left her hair tousled and her skin clothed only in the same small boxers and tank top as last night.  
  
Hermione sighed deeply, and listened to see if Draco was done in the shower. It seemed as if he was and she stood up and turned around.  
  
"AHH!!" Hermione screamed.  
  
"AHH!!" Screamed Draco.  
  
"Bloody hell! What the fuck are you doing in my room, Malfoy?"  
  
"Err... I... uh, I was coming-"  
  
"Is that a fact?" she drawled.  
  
Malfoy flushed scarlet; angered that she could turn his words so easily. Hermione could see the mental battle going on inside his head, like he couldn't figure out what to say. He finally ended up giving a frustrated grunt and giving her the finger before walking away, shaking with anger as Hermione shook with laughter. She had again rendered him speechless.  
  
After showering and dressing in her school robes, Hermione quickly ran a brush through her shocking pink hair and left for the Great Hall. Hoping to finally have a real conversation with Harry and Ron. She really wished she could get over the strained and uncomfortable feeling she felt when she was around them. They were her best friends. Just because her appearance had changed and she was bolder didn't mean their friendship had to suffer. She pushed open the portrait and began to walk the twisted hallways once again.  
  
Draco walked into his room and threw himself down on the bed, facedown. He had let the wretched mudblood beat him again. Why was he so damned speechless around her? He tunneled his fingers through his damp onyx hair and flipped onto his back staring at the ceiling of his room in stony silence with thundercloud eyes. He waited until his throbbing anger subsided and dressed hurriedly in his robes, hoping to fling an unmentionable string of insults at Hermione before enjoying his breakfast.  
  
Unfortunately Draco was too late, as Gryffindors already surrounded Hermione at her table. He didn't fancy being made a fool of in front of the lot of them, so decided not to try his luck. He settled instead for gazing at Hermione from his own table.  
  
She was sitting rather quietly with Harry and Ron, the rest of the Gryffindors not really paying any attention to her at all. The initial shock of her appearance had faded from everyone's gossip topics, and she was again alone with Harry and Ron in the crowd.  
  
"Ugh, I can't believe we have to suffer through potions with the Slytherins for another bloody year. Even if I did do my homework, it wouldn't fucking matter, Snape would still hate me and favor his precious Malfoy... bloody git is probably paying him for his grades... or maybe he performs sexual favors for him and-"  
  
"Oh Ron, for Christ sakes. Did the thought ever occur to you that maybe Malfoy studies? Honestly, studying wouldn't kill you y'know."  
  
"Oh, I know, but why take the chance?" He grinned cheekily and she smacked him across the arm, laughing at his antics as he grabbed her book and faked death by reading.  
  
Draco had grown tired of watching Granger, watching for something, anything to use against her in their next battle of wits. Nothing had jumped up and bitten him in his (rather perfect) ass so he turned his attention back to his friends. Blaise, a tall willowy girl with short violet hair and Benjamin, a boy who's green Mohawk actually matched his lime green eyeliner. (A/N: If you've ever seen Out Of Your Mouth's video for the cover of the Madonna song "Music" you will understand how sexy lime green eyeliner is... am I right?) Draco had pretty much ditched Crabbe and Goyle completely, not being able to handle the fact that their unquestioned bidding to his every request reminded him of his father's relationship with Lord Voldemort. Draco again flitted into a stupor, ignoring the conversations around him. He drifted back into his memories, recalling the night of his parents' death.  
  
His father had just returned from a Deatheaters meeting and was in an extremely foul mood. Draco did his best to stay out of his father's way, knowing that his anger got out of control easily when he was irritated. He decided on a walk around the manor grounds, staying close to home, but away from his dad. Just as he had neared the door, his father grabbed tightly to his shoulder, clawing at the sensitive flesh under Draco's robes.  
  
"Where are you going boy?" He rasped.  
  
Draco turned and stared into his father's bloodshot eyes. He was drunk. And that was when he was most scary. Draco tried to flee his father's grasp but it held fast and he cried out in agony, knowing Lucious' strength was unwavering when he was angry. He cried out again when Lucious flung him back into the wall. Draco felt tears welling up behind his lower eyelids but knew that weakness would only anger his drunken father more. He wanted to cry, not only because of the pain, but because he knew that this man wasn't really his father. Biologically, yes, of course, but when Lucious drank, he became another person. Sober, he was cold and calculating, but always kind with his family unless he thought punishment was necessary. He kept Draco in line in public, trying to uphold the family name, but behind closed doors he was a loving father.  
  
The insane look in Lucious' eyes intensified as Draco allowed a single tear to spill over the rim of his molten silver eye. His father hesitated, realizing the pain he was causing his son and Draco used this fleeting moment to escape his father's clutches and stumbled through the door, running blindly until he reached the security of bushes and stopped, panting, to catch his breath. He remembered thinking hateful thoughts toward his father, but knowing that really, he loved the man more than Lucious knew. Thinking it would be best, he slept under the stars, hidden from harm.  
  
When he had awaken the next morning, he had made his way across the grounds back to manor, shivering in the dewy morning cold. He entered the front hallway, and his eyes met the most horrifying sight that they ever could.  
  
Both his parents were lying on the floor, rigid and cold. Their eyes glazed open with expressions of terror on their faces. Draco ran to them, collapsing in agonizing tears at the still forms of his parents. His raucous sobs wracked his lithe body, and before long servants heard the noise and found Draco flung over his dead parents, crying as if his own life were gone, when really, that was exactly how Draco felt.  
  
He had fled the house soon after, knowing that if it truly had been Lord Voldemort that had Avada Kedavra'd his parents, that he would be next. He went to the only safe place he knew, Hogwarts, where Dumbledore was waiting, expecting him. He took Draco in with no questions asked and had waited until the boy confided in him, telling him his worst fears and of the horrors he had faced.  
  
Even though Draco had always seen Dumbledore as a fool, he realized the assessment was his father's, not his own and he soon grew to love the old man. And Dumbledore in return treated Draco like family, his own son.  
  
"Did you hear me, Mate? Hello?" inquired Benji, rather impatiently.  
  
"Er... w-what was that?" Draco stuttered, jerked rapidly from his dream-like remembrance.  
  
"Bloody hell, were you sleeping with your eyes open?"  
  
"Yeah... nearly..."  
  
"So, what do you think?" Benji inquired again.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About a band Draco." Blaise said, in Benji's impatient tone.  
  
"What band? The Clash? I love them. Classic that shit is."  
  
"What the fuck are you smoking Malfoy? Have you been paying any attention at all?"  
  
"Er... apparently not. I'm way too tired to care right now anyway, let's discuss this at lunch. Were going to be late for potions."  
  
"Not like it matters for you anyway," muttered Blaise darkly.  
  
"Oh, shove it or I'll feed you to Potter." Draco snarled. Benji giggled and Blaise elbowed him sharply.  
  
"Better watch out, mate, or we'll both feed you to Pansy," The trio laughed, relishing in their childish argument. This was definitely what Draco was going to miss at the end of the school year.  
  
A/N: Wow, that was hard to write. For some reason I had to force that chapter out, it wasn't flowing, sorry if it's choppy or what not. It's midnight and I plan on reading through it a few times, I'm just not sure how well I'll do, so I'm apologizing in advance. Anyway, I just saw the Prisoner Of Azkaban. Wicked shit that was. "You tell those spiders, Ron." Haha, anyway. If you haven't seen it yet, go, NOW! Lol. Bye! Your Lord and Master,  
  
Mandee. (That's from the foamy cartoons, if you're wondering. Dez got me hooked. To view them go to illwillpress.com.) Oh and by the way, PLEASE review. I love getting them, and ideas are ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS welcome. Thank you. =) 


	6. Crispy Mini's Are Great!

A/N: WARNING!! SHORT CHAPTER. Well, shorter anyway. I know my chapters aren't usually real long or anything, but that's just how my mind works y'know? In short lil bursts. =D lol. Anyway, just a reminder, I don't own Harry Potter or the characters, and if I did, I doubt I would be writing about them on fanfiction.net, right? I do own the plot though... and if you want to use it that badly, go ahead, just don't steal my story! =D  
  
o Crispy Mini's are Great. o  
  
Hermione let out a deep sigh, as she pulled her hair into two messy bunches on either side of her head. It was had only been the first day but she had a charms essay on previous things they had learnt, a potions essay on veritaserum (which was also review) and 3 pages of arithmancy problems. None of the homework was due for at least a week, but Hermione wasn't going to start procrastinating on the first day. She had at least a couple hours to work before she left to see her beloved Headmaster about something so she slipped out of her school robes and into a pair of loose sweats and a very large Misfits hoodie, which was much more comfortable for curling up and doing homework in.  
  
The fire in the common room was roaring and Hermione threw herself comfortably into a large armchair. In minutes she was absorbed into her work, forgetting everything around her.  
  
She was brought back to the present when she heard the portrait slam shut. Hermione looked up to see Draco's retreating back as he stalked angrily into his adjoining room and slammed his door.  
  
"Bad day?" She thought out loud to herself.  
  
A quick glance at her watch told her it was quarter passed nine. She had wanted to meet Dumbledore at nine O'clock.  
  
"Shit!" She threw her homework into her bag and chucked the entire thing into her bedroom. She had nearly forgotten about her meeting with Dumbledore. She had wanted to discuss a dream she had had during her History of Magic lesson. Not that she was sleeping... She grinned guiltily to herself and began to recall the dream...  
  
She had been on her way to the great hall when she passed Draco's group of friends, they had all called out in greeting to her, which she couldn't figure out. They hated her. She glanced down and saw the slytherin emblem on her robes. It was then she noticed that she was wearing the sorting hat and it began to shriek into her ears that she belonged in slytherin anyway, and she had fainted. Which is when she awoke...  
  
Falling out of your desk and hitting the floor will do that to you...  
  
She hurried down the hall to the headmaster's quarters and before Hermione had even uttered a sound, the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office sprang to life on its own accord and revealed the entrance she was looking for.  
  
Professor Dumbledore was standing at the top of the staircase waiting for her.  
  
"How did you know? I-"  
  
"Miss Granger, I always do." He smiled at her over his half-moon spectacles. "Now, how may I assist you?"  
  
"I- er... I had a dream professor, about the sorting hat. It wanted to put me in Slytherin... is that even possible?"  
  
"Yes. It is possible but very unlikely. The sorting hat prides itself on making the right choice, but students with concerns are welcome to be resorted. I do have the feeling though, that you are worried because of finding out about your parents and your heritage?"  
  
"Yes... but I really think that the dream was more of a sign. I've been feeling out of place lately in Gryffindor. And I haven't been able to tell Ron or Harry about my real parents."  
  
"As you wish, Miss Granger. Please have a seat." Dumbledore collected the hat from the nearby shelf and upon placing it atop her head it sprang to life.  
  
"Ah, a Gryffindor, eh? I remember you. You were quite difficult to place. Brave lion, clever eagle, sweet badger and ambitious snake all in one. I knew, of course, of your real heritage, I could see it. But I could also see your worry of being rejected because of your blood. You didn't know. How badly I wanted to put you in Slytherin. You could have done so well, but alas, I couldn't. Over the years, others have tried to make you feel inferior, but now, it is your turn to take control of the real power you possess. Slytherin is your destiny."  
  
Hermione took off the old hat and placed it on Dumbledore's desk with shaking hands. This was what she wanted, wasn't it? It was all a part of her plan to get closer to Draco Malfoy and make him fall in love with her so she could destroy him the way he had destroyed her all these years. She smiled to herself. But Draco wasn't the only reason she was doing this. It was for herself too. She hadn't lied. She really didn't feel very at home with the other Gryffindors.  
  
"Miss Granger, I take it you expected that?"  
  
"Yes, sir. I did. It happened the same way in my dream... thank you for allowing me to check this out for myself... I'll just be... leaving now..."  
  
"Not so fast, Miss Granger. Now that you have officially been resorted, you must announce this to your fellow classmates. You will do so tomorrow morning at breakfast in the Great Hall."  
  
"Yes, Professor." She bowed her head and exited the office, closing the door gently behind her. How the hell was she going to tell everyone what had just happened? And why hadn't she thought about this before?  
  
A/N: As you may have noticed, the chapter title has nothing to do with the chapter. But Crispy Mini's really are great! Lol. Thanks to all the reviewers. You guys all make my day and I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter to you, but my mind was doing funny things and giving me writers block. I've been thinking about taking this story down and rewriting it cause it's starting to lose me, what do you think? I haven't decided yet so I'm going to keep with it for now. Oh and to Thalia05, stop reading my mind damnit! Lol, I haven't decided about the band thing, but that's what I was thinking of!! Lol. And about her nickname, that's also on my mind and it should be in an upcoming chapter very soon, but I haven't decided on the nickname yet. Does anyone have any ideas? ( I want something different than usual so no Mione, Hermy, Granny, Mya, etc. Something different.) Thanks again to everyone, and even though there isn't much in this chapter to review, I'd still love it if you did. =D  
  
Mandee 


	7. Color Me Green

A/N: 62!! Does a dance that number makes me happy. It is so much more than I expected. Thank you all!! Spykigurl- haha, here, more oxygen! lol.  
  
Rachel- have you read Secret Window by Stephen King? It's way different than the movie and you can NEVER read too much. =P  
  
Mattiemalfoy- I ALWAYS do that. Bad habit. Thanks for pointing it out! I'll be more careful, promise!  
  
Lanna1186- Nope, keep guessin'!  
  
Chick-diggin-jonny – uh... what? I am so confused.  
  
Ellen1188- ...time turner...?  
  
Skittlebip- love the nickname!! Haha.  
  
Valkyrie Wilde- no problem! Anything for my most faithful-est reviewer! =D  
  
I know I didn't mention everyone, but I still read and cherish every single one. Thank you to everyone else and for all the nickname ideas. I still haven't decided on one and there's still a bit of time so more ideas are welcome. THANK-YOU!!  
  
o Color me green and call me a Slytherin o  
  
Draco slammed his bedroom door and threw himself onto his silken sheets.  
  
He was NOT in a good mood. At all.  
  
He had just been in the library working on his potions essay, when The Boy Who Wouldn't Die and his sidekick, Weasel came and ruined the quiet by picking a fight with him.  
  
"Well, you shocked me, Malfoy." The Wonder-Boy had said. "I didn't think you actually did potions homework." He picked up one of the potions books and began to flip through it. This, Draco reminded himself, was why he never did homework in the Library.  
  
"If I didn't do homework, Potter, how would I be able to surpass you in every single class?"  
  
"Favoritism. Or money." Weasly had interjected.  
  
GOD did Draco hate it when people accused him of buying his grades. He worked harder than most students at that school save Granger who really had no life.  
  
"Money, Weasel? Bit jealous, maybe?" Draco laughed silently as the boys ears turned an amazing shade of tomato red. Sure, as usual he had the upper hand, but he was tired of this. He packed up his work and swept out of the library before either boy could utter another infuriating word.  
  
And this is where he had ended up. Furiously pounding his fists into his poor defenseless pillow. As if he, Draco Malfoy for Christ sakes, had to BUY his grades. Sure he had the money if he needed to, but he didn't. He WORKED for those grades.  
  
"Might as well finish that bloody essay," he mumbled to himself. He gathered his things again and exited his room, closing the door, this time, much more quietly.  
  
The fire was warm and the cushions soft and before he had even written one word, he was asleep.  
  
Hermione trudged up to her room, dreading breakfast the next morning. How in the name of Merlin was she to tell everyone at once? She glanced down at the robes she was carrying and saw a shimmering serpent where her once beloved Gryffindor lion had been. There was no turning back now.  
  
She silently prayed that Draco wasn't in the common room when she entered.  
  
Draco looked up as she entered the room.  
  
"Hermione...."  
  
"Hi, Draco..." she said in a breathy voice.  
  
"I know we could never be together, but will you give me one kiss to remember you by?"  
  
"Oh Draco! Of course we can be together!"  
  
"Either way... uh-"  
  
But he was silenced as her lips came crashing down on his...  
  
Luck was clearly not on Hermione's side, because when she entered the common room, there was Draco. Asleep. At least she could sneak passed him.  
  
"Hermione..."  
  
She stopped dead in her tracks and turned around... but Draco was still asleep. His breathing was so shallow though and Hermione began to worry.  
  
"Malfoy?" she said, gently shaking him. His eyes shot open wide and he looked at her with a confused expression. "Are you ok?"  
  
"Bloody hell!" he yelled before shooting off the couch and into his bedroom, slamming the door yet again.  
  
Behind his bedroom door Draco Malfoy was pacing and silently freaking out. He had just had a dream about that Mudblood, Granger! And bloody hell, he had called her Hermione! And KISSED her! And liked it... It was just a dream, he told himself. Just- he stopped. Had Granger been carrying a Slytherin robe?  
  
What a day, Hermione thought as she turned the hot water tap and began to fill the tub. And it was only the beginning. She could only imagine what tomorrow would be like. So many questions and only her to answer them... only her. She vaguely wondered if she should have talked to Harry and Ron before she told the whole school, them included, but decided it was too late. They would probably be angry, but they should understand, right? Best friends always understood. She got undressed and slipped into the waiting hot water. She could feel her body relax as the warmth untied her knotted and stressed joints. She closed her eyes and could feel herself drifting to sleep.  
  
But then she was rudely awakened.  
  
"So, Granger, are you sleeping with a Slytherin or just going through the laundry?"  
  
A/N: Well, this was originally going to be a really long chapter, but I have to leave for a trip tomorrow and I thought I would post what I had so far (which just happened to be a bit of a cliffie, total accident I assure you. =P) I won't be home until the 21st or 22nd and I didn't want you to have to wait that long, so... tada!! Here it is. Thanks again to my MARVELOUS reviewers. I love you all and to any new readers, see that little purple-ish blue button that says "go"? USE THAT BUTTON. =) I LOVE that button. Thank-you.  
  
-Monster Mandee

oh, and I also wrote a short lil one-shot to make up for the last 2 real short chapters. It's called Filthy and Beautiful. =D shameless self- promotion... I know. =D


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